Attitudes and Perceptions Regarding Pet Adoption Joshua M. Frank, Ph.D., Executive Director Foundation for Interdisciplinary Research and Education Promoting Animal Welfare (FIREPAW) Pamela Carlisle-Frank, Ph.D., President Foundation for Interdisciplinary Research and Education Promoting Animal Welfare (FIREPAW) Abstract: One approach to addressing the problem of pet overpopulation in the U.S. is to encourage people to adopt their companion animals from nearby shelters rather than purchase their pets from for-profit sources. The question then becomes, "How do animal welfare professionals convince the general public to adopt?" In order to answer this question animal welfare advocates must first determine the attitudes and beliefs of those who typically purchase animals to determine why they choose for-profit sources and why they do not choose adoption. This paper will present current trends in pet overpopulation, the most common reasons people give for acquiring pets, and findings regarding purchasing versus adoption. This paper will then present the results of the present study revealing the most common attitudes of people regarding their choices to purchase from for-profit sources versus adopting from shelters or rescue workers. Background While it is clear that the numbers are high, it is difficult to obtain a precise figure on the number of companion animals abandoned and euthanized. Arkow (1994) extrapolated data from nine states to come up with a national estimate of 8.3 million animals sheltered and 5.7 million euthanized every year. On average, for the nine states, 7.6% of the total dog and cat population is sheltered every year and 5.2% is euthanized. The intake rate was found to be higher for dogs, but the euthanasia rates were similar. Arkow also concluded that the rate of animals sheltered is lower than that found in studies from the 1980’s which report rates in the high double digits. A more recent estimate using similar survey methodology comes out with a figure of 4.6 million dogs and cats euthanized a year or 16.8 animals per 1,000 Americans (Animal People, 2001). The annual survey uses rolling-three year data from various regions through 2000 and is based on jurisdictions that include 30.4% of the U.S. population. Although this number is slightly up from the prior year’s estimate of 4.5 million, the death rate is lower than that found by Arkow in 1994 and considerably lower than that found in prior decades. Rowan (1992) has also reported that the number of animals being euthanized is significantly down from previous decades from about 20% of the previously owned animal population to 5% (or from 13.5 million to between 5 and 6 million in actual values). Looking just at New York City data from the late 1800's on, Zawistowski et al. (1998) indicate a peak in euthanasia rate per person at around the time of the depression, followed by a steep decline to about a tenth of the peak rate in the 1990's. The authors cite this as evidence of a general decline in euthanasia rates both per person and per animal sheltered. This conclusion is consistent with other studies, though the fact remains that millions of companion animals are still put to death in the U.S. each year. These same authors also examined survey data on shelters nationwide. They found that there are an estimated 4,700 shelters in the United States that take in 100 or more animals a year. For the 22% responding in the latest survey (1995), about 45% of dogs came from animal control officers, 27% came from guardian relinquishment, and the remainder came from other or unknown sources. Approximately 26% of dogs were adopted, 16% were reclaimed by guardians, 55% were euthanized, and the remainder had unknown or other dispositions. These numbers all suggest that there is a sizable dog and cat overpopulation problem in the United States (though it may have improved compared to prior decades). An alternative perspective on the problem is that it is a distribution problem rather than an overpopulation problem. This perspective places the emphasis on matching companion animals with the right homes rather than on the number of cats and dogs. Why people acquire companion animals Before exploring the motivations for adopting versus purchasing pets it is important to first examine some of the reasons people hold for acquiring companion animals. For some companion animal guardians the animal-human bond is as strong as the bond with any other family member (Flynn, 2000). In fact, DeGroot (1984) argues that the emotional attachment many humans have for their pet not only equals, but actually transcends the emotional attachment they form with other humans. At first glance, it may seem that the number of people who are strongly bonded with their pet is very high. Studies report a high percentage of companion animal guardians who state that the pet is a family member. For example, a survey by Friedmann et al. (1984) found that 88% of respondents agree with the statement, "The pet is a family member". Hirschman (1994) also found a high percentage (80%) of pet guardians who consider their pets to be family members. This research also searched for "emergent themes" in the human-animal relationship. One theme that was particularly interesting relates to "wildness", where guardians seem to want some aspect of nature or wildness but not "too much wildness" in their animal. Animals perceived as "too wild" are often given up. In a survey by Ory & Goldberg (1984), when pet guardians were asked how attached they were to their pet, 72.9% described themselves as "very attached" while 27.1% described themselves as "not very attached". These results are interesting in light of the fact that pet abandonment is likely to be closely tied to a low level of attachment. In a survey by Salman & Salman (1983) in Australia, 46% of respondents gave "companionship" as the primary benefit of pet guardianship. Twenty-seven percent gave "security/protection" as the primary benefit, 10% said "pleasure", 5% said "affection/love". Other answers included "an interest", "teaches children", "something for family to share", "prestige", and "made new friends through dog" (all between 1% and 5% individually). In the same survey, most respondents reported they derived happiness and companionship from their dog, yet only half felt that it was like a close friend to them. In a survey of people in the Netherlands done by Endenburg et al (1994), the most commonly cited reason for acquiring an animal was companionship (79%). This reason was followed by "used to it" (29%), social/attachment (20%), social/taking care of an animal (20%), social/child- rearing considerations (14%), usefulness (13%), companionship for other animal (13%), social/tactile contact (12%), and health reasons (12%). Respondents were allowed to select more than one answer on this survey, so numbers add up to more than 100%. One common previous assumption as to why people acquire companion animals now seems unlikely. There is now little evidence that pet guardianship occurs as a "child substitute"--less than 9% of dogs and 14% of cats are owned by people who have no children (Beck, 1983). Purchasing versus adoption An important question for purposes of the present study is why people choose certain sources for acquiring their companion animals. One potential advantage of choosing to buy a purebred animal is that such a choice can reduce uncertainty in the animal's traits. A study by Hart & Hart (1984) attempted to explain thirteen traits by dog breed. The researchers used cluster analysis to create dog groupings and found that 88 % of the variation in traits could be predicted by four factors. However, it should be noted that what was being explained was not the actual behavior or traits of dogs. Rather, the cluster analysis explained expert opinion (veterinarians and trainers) regarding what traits are associated with what breeds. However, at the same time, perceived behavior does have some relevance, since perceptions of misbehavior are a major cause of dog relinquishment (Salman et al., 2000). Hart et al. (1983) stated that the main advantage of selecting a purebred rather than a mixed breed as a family pet is that "one has more success in predicting what the dog will be like as an adult." This is true both of morphological traits and behavioral traits. The article documented some significant behavioral differences between dog breeds, at least as perceived by experts when asked to rank these traits. Another reason why companion animal purchasers may choose to purchase their animal and seek out a specific breed, is that they desire a replacement for a prior pet. According to a survey by Messent (1984), after the death of a companion animal, 72% of the guardians who acquired a replacement animal purchased a dog or cat of the same breed. One explanation for this decision may be to cope with the loss of an animal. However, it could also be argued that some people will purchase the same breed simply because they were satisfied with the traits of that breed, just as some people will purchase the same make of car repeatedly if they are satisfied with that car's features and quality. There are potential disadvantages of adopting animals from shelters. For one thing such animals may have been strays. According to Salman & Salman (1983), dealing with animals that run off is more often a problem for guardians of dogs that had previously been strays. Despite some apparent advantages of purchasing purebred animals rather than adopting from shelters or rescue workers, purebred animals are an inferior product (defined biologically rather than economically).